The "Friendly" Skies?

So with the holiday season coming upon us, people are getting ready to travel. Well, with the travel, they get a free scan with x-ray glasses or a free medical exam. How fun..


I haven’t really heard too much about Canada yet, though I’m guessing we’re not too far behind the Americans on this one, but some U.S. airports have full body scanners where the person looking at the images can see everything. Remember those old ads for x-ray glasses where the makers claimed you can see people in their underwear? Yeah.. Like that. Except this actually shows everything..

Those refusing the full body scan get treated to what amounts to legislated sexual harassment. Someone will give a full body pat-down, everywhere. Now in theory they’re supposed to do this in a private area, but that may not be the case in practice. Recently, a girl flying from Sudbury to Toronto received the “enhanced pat down” before boarding the plane. In public, because “no private facilities exist at the airport.” My thinking is simply this: If you’re going to invade peoples’ rights and privacy, do so in private. I don’t get a rectal exam in public, I expect not to get fondled in public when all I want to do is board the plane and go where I’m going to.

Now, this is all done in the name of safety and security. Already people have written to newspapers saying they’re willing to give into the pat downs and invasive searches if it means the plane doesn’t explode because of a bomb. The problem with this, however, is the agency in charge of the security has already said they won’t search Muslim women to “preserve their dignity and rights.” But it’s fine to impede our rights because Muslim fanatics have been using planes to attack.

I’m no genius, but if I were a terrorist organization obsessed with attacking the West, as soon as I hear the airport security won’t check Muslim women, guess who I’m recruiting for my plane bombing missions?? You can put explosives head to toe, cover with the full-body veil and there you go.. Gift wrapped doom from above.

Instead of turning into a grope-fest at the airport or, dare I say it, turn airports to nudist colonies, how about we start looking for visual clues that someone might be carrying something explosive in their briefs? Does the person look nervous? Is the person sweating an unusual amount? Darting eyes from side-to-side? Not looking at the security officer at all when being asked questions? It’s called profiling. Profiling doesn’t have to be racist. You don’t just pick Muslim people. That is racial profiling. The profiling I’m talking about is looking at the questions I have above, and if the majority are true, then examine the person a little closer. They may be white, black, purple, or orange with yellow stripes. Doesn’t matter. They might just be worried about flying. That happens.

The funny thing is that if you don’t agree to the airport security’s gropefest or the scan, they can throw you out of the airport and charge you. With what I’m not sure, but this is the case for the guy who’s gone viral for telling an officer “Touch my junk and I’ll have you arrested.” I’m sorry, but no touchy-feely. I’m married. It’s spoken for. Otherwise, dinner and a movie first.